BEIJING (Reuters) - China and the United States should avoid "groundless accusations" against each other about cyber-security and hacking into each other's computer systems, newly installed Premier Li Keqiang said on Sunday.

Li's comments, at the close of China's annual meeting of parliament and a day after he assumed the premiership, come amid a war of words between Beijing and Washington over cyber-attacks and national security.

China's newly-elected Premier Li Keqiang gestures as he answers questions during a news conference after the closing session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing March 17, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Lee

A U.S. computer security company said last month that a secretive Chinese military unit was likely behind a series of hacking attacks mostly targeting the United States.

Responding to a reporter at a news conference, Li said he "sensed the presumption of guilt" in the question.

"I think we should not make groundless accusations against each other, and spend more time doing practical things that will contribute to cyber-security," Li said.

"This is a worldwide problem. In fact, China itself is a main target of such attacks," he said. "China does not support, indeed we are opposed to, such activities."

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew will press China to investigate and stop cyber-attacks on U.S. companies and other entities when he visit China this week, a senior U.S. official said on Friday.

President Barack Obama also raised U.S. concerns about computer hacking in a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, the same day Xi took office.

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus's parliament will decide on Sunday whether savers must pay a levy on bank deposits under terms for an international bailout to avert bankruptcy - with approval far from certain.

People gather at an automatic teller machine in Nicosia March 16, 2013. REUTERS/Yiannis Nisiotis

The euro zone demand on Saturday that savers pay up to 10 percent of deposits as a condition for the 10 billion euro (8.6 billion pounds) bailout drew fury in the eastern Mediterranean island and caused some jitters elsewhere in the region.

Cypriots emptied cash points after news emerged of bailout terms which broke a previous euro zone taboo on protecting depositors in its efforts to address the regional debt crisis.

Newly elected Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said refusing the bailout would have led to the collapse of the island's two largest banks, badly singed by their exposure to bailed out neighbour Greece.

The tax on deposits in Cyprus, which accounts for only 0.2 percent of the euro zone's economy, is expected to raise up to 6 billion euros as a condition for the bailout, mainly needed to recapitalise banks.

Those affected will include rich Russians with deposits in Cyprus and Europeans who have retired to the island as well as Cypriots themselves.

The size of foreign deposits in Cyprus - estimated at 37 percent of the total - was one reason the euro zone agreed to the tax on savings, to take effect when banks reopen on Tuesday. Cyprus stopped electronic transfers over the weekend.

In Spain, one of four other states getting euro zone help and seen as a possible candidate for a sovereign rescue, officials were quick to say that Cyprus was a one-off. A Bank of Spain spokesman said there had been no sign of deposit flight.

Two Cypriot banks in Britain told savers their money was safe.

Cyprus's parliament was due to convene at 4 p.m. (2:00 p.m. British time) in an emergency session to discuss the proposed penalties on deposits: 9.9 percent for those exceeding 100,000 euros and 6.7 percent on anything below that.

PAIN OR CATASTROPHE

The choice facing Cyprus was between "the catastrophic scenario of disorderly bankruptcy or the scenario of a painful but controlled management of the crisis," President Anastasiades said in a written statement.

His right-wing Democratic Rally party, with 20 seats in the 56-member parliament, needs support from other factions for a vote to pass.

"The dilemmas are very tough," said Marios Karoyian, head of the Democratic Party, junior partner in the coalition government. "Things are unbelievably hard."

He did not say which way his party would vote on Sunday. It is already split over backing Anastasiades three weeks ago.

Cyprus's Communist party AKEL, accused of stalling on a bailout during its tenure in power until the end of February, was likely to vote against the measure. The socialist Edek party called EU demands "absurd".

"This is unacceptably unfair and we are against it," said Adonis Yiangou of the Greens Party, the smallest in parliament but with the potential ability to swing any vote.

"They have got a gun to our head," he said.

Saving Cyprus's financial sector would have been impossible without the levy because of its size relative to output - more than twice the EU average, Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem said in Brussels.

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus's parliament will decide on Sunday whether savers must pay a levy on bank deposits under terms for an international bailout to avert bankruptcy - with approval far from certain.

People gather at an automatic teller machine in Nicosia March 16, 2013. REUTERS/Yiannis Nisiotis

The euro zone demand on Saturday that savers pay up to 10 percent of deposits as a condition for the 10 billion euro (8.6 billion pounds) bailout drew fury in the eastern Mediterranean island and caused some jitters elsewhere in the region.

Cypriots emptied cash points after news emerged of bailout terms which broke a previous euro zone taboo on protecting depositors in its efforts to address the regional debt crisis.

Newly elected Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said refusing the bailout would have led to the collapse of the island's two largest banks, badly singed by their exposure to bailed out neighbour Greece.

The tax on deposits in Cyprus, which accounts for only 0.2 percent of the euro zone's economy, is expected to raise up to 6 billion euros as a condition for the bailout, mainly needed to recapitalise banks.

Those affected will include rich Russians with deposits in Cyprus and Europeans who have retired to the island as well as Cypriots themselves.

The size of foreign deposits in Cyprus - estimated at 37 percent of the total - was one reason the euro zone agreed to the tax on savings, to take effect when banks reopen on Tuesday. Cyprus stopped electronic transfers over the weekend.

In Spain, one of four other states getting euro zone help and seen as a possible candidate for a sovereign rescue, officials were quick to say that Cyprus was a one-off. A Bank of Spain spokesman said there had been no sign of deposit flight.

Two Cypriot banks in Britain told savers their money was safe.

Cyprus's parliament was due to convene at 4 p.m. (2:00 p.m. British time) in an emergency session to discuss the proposed penalties on deposits: 9.9 percent for those exceeding 100,000 euros and 6.7 percent on anything below that.

PAIN OR CATASTROPHE

The choice facing Cyprus was between "the catastrophic scenario of disorderly bankruptcy or the scenario of a painful but controlled management of the crisis," President Anastasiades said in a written statement.

His right-wing Democratic Rally party, with 20 seats in the 56-member parliament, needs support from other factions for a vote to pass.

"The dilemmas are very tough," said Marios Karoyian, head of the Democratic Party, junior partner in the coalition government. "Things are unbelievably hard."

He did not say which way his party would vote on Sunday. It is already split over backing Anastasiades three weeks ago.

Cyprus's Communist party AKEL, accused of stalling on a bailout during its tenure in power until the end of February, was likely to vote against the measure. The socialist Edek party called EU demands "absurd".

"This is unacceptably unfair and we are against it," said Adonis Yiangou of the Greens Party, the smallest in parliament but with the potential ability to swing any vote.

"They have got a gun to our head," he said.

Saving Cyprus's financial sector would have been impossible without the levy because of its size relative to output - more than twice the EU average, Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem said in Brussels.

THEIR smiles, friendly handshakes and joint statements after every meeting spell good omen for bilateral ties.

Suffice it to say that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong have continuously demonstrated their commitment to building good neighbourly ties between the nations that they are leading.

A case in point: Both Najib and Lee ended the fourth Malaysia-Singapore Leaders' Retreat last month on a high note, reaffirming strong bilateral relations, with announcements of further collaboration and, more specifically, the construction of a high-speed rail (HSR) link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

There is a consensus among international relations observers that the efforts sown by both leaders have catapulted the Malaysia-Singapore ties to new heights and would pave the way for long-term mutual economic benefits. That, they say, would also send positive signals to investors and business professionals alike.

"It (the intensified effort in enhancing the bilateral ties between Malaysia and Singapore) clearly stems from the desire for more growth," Dr K.S. Balakrishnan, head of International & Strategic Studies at the University of Malaya, argues.

"We're living in a globalised world, where economics is defining politics more than politics defining economy. Leaders must be open-minded to find win-win solutions and create synergies that can help both countries to expand in an increasingly challenging business environment," he explains.

Turning point

That Malaysia-Singapore ties have never been as good as they are now is not an overstatement.

The bilateral relationship between both countries had in the past been marked by constant bickering and disagreements over many issues from that pertaining to land and water to skies, especially since Singapore got separated from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965, and despite the fact that the economies of both neighbours were highly interdependent.

As political observers argue, the animosity between the two countries deepened under Malaysia's former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's leadership, but changed after the fourth premier, who is internationally known for his acerbic mannerism, stepped down.

"Malaysia's relationship with Singapore became better under Pak Lah (Malaysia's fifth Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi), but moved one step higher when Najib came to power," James Chin, senior visiting fellow, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, says.

According to Singapore High Commissioner Ong Keng Yong, the major turning point in the bilateral relationship between Malaysia and Singapore is Najib's effort in clearing one major obstacle the implementation of the points of agreement (POA), which had been negotiated and agreed upon in 1990. The 20-year-old deadlock, which involved the transfer of the railway land owned by the Malaysian Government through KTM Bhd in Singapore, was cleared in 2010, a year after Najib assumed the role as the sixth Prime Minister.

"Our (Singapore's) relationship with Malaysia has been particularly good for the last few years, and we have Najib to thank for that because he cleared that one big roadblock," Ong tells StarBizWeek.

On how Malaysia's changing political landscape could affect its ties with Singapore in the future, Ong reiterates his prime minister Lee's stance that Singapore wants to develop its relationship with Malaysia on the basis of "continuity and stability" in Malaysia.

Growing strong together

The economies of Malaysia and Singapore have always had a high degree of interdependence.

The direction of trade, for one, underscores the importance of Malaysia and Singapore as each other's vital trading partners, says Rusdi Omar, senior lecturer at the Department of International Affairs Management of Universiti Utara Malaysia.

Malaysia and Singapore have been each other's main trading partners for many years. Data from Malaysia's Department of Statistics, for instance, show that bilateral trade between Malaysia and Singapore was valued at RM175.5bil last year, up from RM161.7bil in 2011. Malaysia remains Singapore's largest trading partner, while Singapore is Malaysia's second largest trading partner after China.

For Rusdi, it is clear. He argues: "Singapore's well-being is important to Malaysia as Singapore is one of its largest trading partners, and vice versa. The establishment of good relations is, therefore, economically vital for both countries."

That seems to gel with what most economists have long contended: That it is high time that Malaysia and Singapore capitalised on each other's comparative advantages to continue growing their economies especially in the current global economic uncertainties.

Incidentally, Malaysia and Singapore's economic interdependence is not just reflected in their bilateral trade, but it can also be seen in the flow of investments between both countries.

Data from the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority show that Singapore remains one of the top investors in the country, with total value of approved projects standing at RM2.2bil last year, down slightly from RMRM2.5bil in 2011 because of the global economic weakness. Singapore's investments in Malaysia are mainly concentrated in the manufacturing sector.

And in recent years, Singapore has been pouring money into Iskandar Malaysia, the development corridor in Johor.

It is natural for Singaporeans to take deep interest in Iskandar given the latter's close proximity to the city-state. And it appears that the development zone is not only attracting investments of Singaporean businesses and companies, but also that of individual investors from the city-state because of the relatively more affordable housing in Iskandar Malaysia.

Iskandar is key

According to the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (Irda), Singaporeans are the single largest group of investors in Iskandar, accounting for about 16.6% of the total money invested there.

As at August last year, total cumulative investments from Singapore in Iskandar stood at S$2.5bil (RM6.1bil), up from S$1.82bil in 2011. About three quarters of the total cumulative investments from Singapore went into the manufacturing sector, while the rest flowed into the property, education and healthcare sectors.

Such flow of money, Rusdi says, has further complemented economic activities on both sides of the Causeway. He points out that Malaysia will benefit from Singapore's investments, while Singapore will be able to alleviate its space problems by transferring some of its industries to Iskandar.

Chin concurs, saying that Iskandar, which will act as hinterland to Singaporean industries, will be a "game changer" in bilateral ties, and a key to driving Malaysia-Singapore ties to the next level.

On that note, Ong observes that Iskandar has remained high on the agenda of both governments because of the intensity of development in Southern Peninsular Malaysia and the increased movement of Singaporean businesses and companies as well as individuals into the development corridor in Johor in recent years.

"There are many issues that need to be addressed in order to harmonise our targets," Ong says, referring to the types of Singaporean industries that are moving into Iskandar and labour supply issues, among others.

There seems to be a mismatch of expectations, as Malaysia anticipates high-technology and capital-intensive industries to invest in the country as part of its ambitious plan to become a high-income economy by 2020, while Singaporean businesses that are invested in Iskandar are mostly not from that "ideal" segment.

Ong's justification is that Iskandar needs a variety of business sectors, especially industries that could provide the "critical mass" (read: labour-intensive industries) in order to support other businesses, especially the retail sector, and sustain the development of the economic corridor.

As for Singaporean individuals' investment in Malaysian properties, especially those in Iskandar, Ong reveals that both the Malaysian and Singaporean governments are also concerned on ensuring that such investments do not contribute to rising costs on the ground.

Abundant opportunities

According to Ong, while Iskandar remains a bright spot for most Singaporeans, they are also looking into investing in other economic corridors throughout Malaysia, including Sabah, Sarawak, the East Coast Economic Region and Northern Corridor Economic Region.

"Going forward, we'll probably look at other attractive locations in the whole of Malaysia," he says.

From Singapore's perspective, Malaysia is regarded as a "big" market that presents a spread of opportunities for all types of businesses from manufacturing to the services sectors to thrive. For one thing, Malaysia's economic growth is relatively more robust than that of the developed and mature Singapore.

Malaysia's gross domestic product (GDP), for instance, is expected to grow at an average of 5% to 6% per year through 2020, while that of Singapore is expected to grow only at an average of 2% to 3% per year over the same period. According to official forecasts, Malaysia's GDP growth will likely be sustained at around 4.5% to 5.5% this year (versus 5.6% in 2012), while Singapore's GDP is expected to expand between 1% and 3% this year (versus 1.3% in 2012).

For another, with Malaysia's massive stimulus measures such as the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) in place, opportunities are abundant for foreign investors including those from Singapore.

Cost-wise, Malaysia also offers a much cheaper operating environment which could help Singaporean businesses make better profit margins.

According to a World Bank report for 2013, the ease of doing business in Malaysia has improved, with the country ranking 12th out of more than 180 countries, compared with its 14th position in the preceding year.

Nevertheless, it still lags behind Singapore in terms of ease of doing business. The city-state has for the past two years ranked top in the world in terms of ease of doing business.

"One of the things that we (policymakers) constantly look at is how to improve policy measures to facilitate business and investment flow to make it easier for the private sector to flourish," Ong says.

He points out that Singapore is a very open and liberal market economy that allows foreign investor participation in almost every sector of the country's economy, including key strategic sectors such as power generation.

Ong notes that there are already many Malaysian businesses that have invested in Singapore, besides the YTL Group. Among these are S P Setia Bhd and Selangor Dredging Bhd in the real estate sector; Malayan Banking Bhd in the financial services sector; Axiata Group Bhd in the telecommunications industry, and the Genting group in the leisure and hospitality sector.

"There has been an increasing number of Malaysian investors in Singapore because we are now operating in a globalised environment many are invested in Singapore, not so much for the Singaporean market, but to use Singapore as a launching pad to reach out to international markets," Ong says.

He adds that Malaysian and Singaporean companies can form joint ventures to penetrate important markets like China, India and Vietnam.

Business collaborations

Significantly, the warming of bilateral ties between Malaysia and Singapore has encouraged the formation of joint ventures between companies from both sides of the Causeway.

The collaboration between government-linked companies (GLCs) Malaysia's Khazanah Nasional Bhd and Singapore's Temasek Holdings for one, can be regarded as one of the major breakthroughs in this aspect.

Political observers say it is a significant development that has set the right tone for the private sector to form collaborations between companies from both sides of the Causeway.

State investment arms Khazanah and Temasek in June 2011 formed a 60:40 joint venture, called M+S Pte Ltd, to develop landmark projects in Marina South and Ophir-Rochor in Singapore. These projects will be on the commercial land parcels, which were a swap from the Singaporean Government in return for Singapore railway land previously used by KTM.

Khazanah and Temasek has also formed a 50:50 joint venture, called Pulau Indah Ventures Sdn Bhd, to develop two wellness-related projects in Iskandar, with a gross development value of about RM3bil. These projects are expected to be completed between 2015 and 2018.

Rusdi says the close ties and collaborations between the public and private sectors of both countries are an important strategy to tap new opportunities in a globalised world.

Increased connectivity

In line with improved bilateral ties between Malaysia and Singapore, governments from both countries have shown resolve to enhance connectivity through the development of HSR, which is the highlight of the recent Leaders' Retreat involving Najib and Lee.

Similarly, both governments have agreed to go ahead with the development of the rapid transit system (RTS) linking Johor Baru and Singapore.

The RTS is expected to be completed by 2018, while the HSR, which is expected to cut travelling time between Kuala Lumpur to Singapore to 90 minutes, is expected to be completed by 2020.

The HSR, for instance, will not just serve for the economic good of Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, but it will also benefit areas along the lines.

"I think by having the HSR, we will send a positive signal to the marketplace and the people at large we're telling them we're committed to do more, and by having this kind of infrastructure development, we can contribute to the economic growth of both countries," Ong adds.

The warming of Malaysia-Singapore ties is indeed a welcomed development. But as political observers put it, governments from both sides of the Causeway have to consistently demonstrate deep political will to ensure that they can build sustainable relations for the long-term good of both countries.

KARTHI Palanisamy no longer gets angry calls from his peers in the advertising industry. He reckons that's because people have started to understand more about the Boomerang Membership Accreditation Programme (BMAP).

Karthi has been the BMAP convenor since the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents (4As) launched it in 2009.

In 2011 he announced publicly the 4As' drastic move to terminate the membership of 17 agencies for failing to adhere to the programme.

Under the BMAP, member agencies gain points by participating in selected training programmes and 4As-related events. Each agency must accumulate a minimum number of points over a 12-month period in order to stay as a 4As member.

Karthi says that when the 4As council first started telling agencies that their membership would be revoked if they failed to achieve the required points, "many felt we were just joking."

"When we sent official letters later, people whom I knew in the industry started calling and shouting at me. They said things like they had been in the industry longer than I had," he recalls.

Thankfully, all that has stopped.

Karthi, who hasn't spoken on BMAP to the media for over a year, tells StarBizWeek: "What we've done right in the last one year was to have a lot more engagements with the agencies. We've called in all the agencies that did not achieve at least 50% of the required points and asked them how we could improve the programme to accommodate them."

He describes the meetings as "pretty positive." The agencies basically wanted to have more programmes to earn points and for the council to make things easier for them, and that has been done.

In the last 12 months, the BMAP covered a whopping 170 training and development programmes, which are worth from five to 50 points per person. The wide-ranging topics included advertising law, accounting for deferred tax, effective interviewing skills and crisis management, among others.

Karthi says a lot of the programmes involved the 4As' ties with government agencies. Government agencies have begun to invite the 4As for dialogues and the council encourages members to attend the sessions, such as Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka's talk on using Bahasa Malaysia in billboard advertising.

Agencies also earn points by conducting internal programmes.

A new way to gain points, introduced only in the last seven months, is through the graduate fellowship programme. This entails employing interns for a minimum of three months.

"We invite graduates who are not necessarily majoring in communications. The entire programme may cost about RM6,000 to RM7,000 per fellow, with half paid for by the 4As. On top of that, the 4As gave the interns an allowance of RM1,000 per month. This year we plan to make it even more attractive by doubling the allowance," Karthi says.

Last month the council went to SEGi University College in Sarawak and spoke to over 70 students, and yesterday the 4As held a briefing session in Kuala Lumpur with lecturers and programme directors from various universities and colleges.

The current 4As president Tony Savarimuthu has been a strong advocate of training. According to Karthi, last year the council decided that half of the entrance fees received by the 4As would go towards training.

In May the 4As will bring to Malaysia one of its costliest training programmes − the one-day Future of Digital Marketing programme by UK-based Econsultancy. However, the association will heavily subsidise the participant's fee.

"This is the first time the renowned programme is coming to Asia. It costs us RM200,000 to bring eight top-level speakers from around the world to talk about digital marketing.

"However, it'll cost participants less than RM1,000 each. The organiser was interested for us to price it at RM1,500 per person, but Tony (Savarimuthu) said he wanted it to be below RM1,000," Karthi says.

Despite the many programmes for agencies to reap points, there are about 15 agencies that have failed so far to reach the minimum required points for the year ending March 31, 2013.

This seems to reflect a deteriorating trend because in the previous 12-month period, the 4As terminated the membership of only seven agencies due to BMAP non-compliance.

However, Karthi points out that 2012 was not a good year for agencies generally in terms of revenue; many had to let go their staff and couldn't concentrate on training and service.

Therefore, the council will discuss at its AGM next month whether to give some or all the agencies a three-month extension. (Last year it didn't offer any extension.)

The council isn't "very happy" to grant an extension this year, says Karthi. He doesn't expect there will be more than one extension, if any.

Even with an extension, he foresees the 4As terminating the membership of four to five agencies at the upcoming AGM based on zero performance.

"Those agencies probably became members only for pitching reasons," Karthi says, referring to the fact that agencies which are 4As members are paid fees of a few thousand ringgit when they pitch for an advertising account.

"By implementing BMAP, we have cut off the agencies that joined the 4As merely for such a benefit. Members of the 4As must also follow a certain code of ethics; and to show that, they have to make sure that their staff are trained."

The 4As currently has the least number of members in several years, at 100 (excluding affiliate members). This compares to 127 members three years ago. Of those that left over the last three years, the majority were "let go" in relation to the BMAP points.

Will the BMAP be made stricter in the future? Karthi says it is not yet time.

"While 60% of the agencies understand (the need for) the programme and want to play a bigger role in it to uplift the industry, there are probably 30% that participate just because they want to continue being a member. Once we've changed their mindset and reached 90% of the agencies understanding it, the next level is increasing the minimum points required," he says.

Karthi wants to see clients of advertising agencies becoming more involved as well.

"This programme can be driven by clients if they insist that their agencies are 4As members and are well trained. Clients benefit as they will be assured that they are serviced by an agency which is well-equipped in its knowledge."

Karthi says a lot of the association's previous messages, such as via membership termination, were aimed at advertising agencies.

"It's time to move on to the next level, which is educating clients that when they start using a 4As agency, they can be assured the agency's talents are well trained in various facets of the business to provide great service to the clients," he says.

For the first time, the 4As is releasing a league table of the top BMAP achievers in the past 12 months based on agency size. "Maybe it's time to honour those agencies that have spent a lot of money in training," he says.

"Interestingly, all the agencies in the above-75-staff category have achieved at least double the required 750 points," he notes. Multinational agency Ogilvy & Mather is the highest achiever by a long way for the year ending March 31, 2013, racking up over 10,000 points (see table).

Another top achiever is four-year-old local agency Spin Communications.

Its managing director Chit Quah says Spin invests a lot "to equip, nurture and importantly, love" its staff. It has its own internal training programme but also sends staff to industry-organised training programmes, especially in the area of new media.

"This year, we have allocated a social budget for the staff to organise something random or crazy to de-stress and will try to have these at least once a month," he says.

Quah praises the Boomerang programme.

"There is a lack of good talent and we ourselves (the industry) are to blame for not doing enough to attract and develop talent.

"Extensions (of the period to achieve points) or a lower level of points can be considered for those agencies that are outside of Kuala Lumpur, where there are fewer industry events and training programmes that they can be involved in. Others have no excuse."

MELBOURNE: World champion Sebastian Vettel produced a flying last lap to grab the pole for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday.

Vettel trumped Lewis Hamilton's best time in a Mercedes with his fastest lap of one minute 27.407 seconds, and will start alongside his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber on the front row of the grid.

It was the young German's 37th career pole and sets up the world champion Red Bull team as favourites heading into the season-opening race at Melbourne's Albert Park street circuit later Sunday.

Hamilton, who has switched to Mercedes from McLaren, had looked set to nab the pole when he lowered the best lap time by 3.3secs to 1:28.087 but Vettel, under the hammer, produced a sizzling final lap to trump the Briton.

Webber, bidding to join Jack Brabham and Alan Jones as home winners of the Australian GP, finished second quickest with 1:27.827.

Felipe Massa was fourth ahead of his Ferrari teammate Fernando Alonso, while German Nico Rosberg was sixth in his Mercedes.

Rosberg was quickest in Q2 from Vettel, while Massa and McLaren's Jenson Button scraped into the final stages of qualifying with flying last laps to beat the cut.

Button was 11th but switched back to intermediate tyres and got to fourth fastest, while Massa improved from 12th fastest to grab fifth.

INDIAN WELLS, California: A resurgent Rafael Nadal beat Tomas Berdych 6-4, 7-5 on Saturday to reach the final of the Indian Wells Masters.

Nadal has now reached the final in four straight tournaments since returning in February from a seven-month injury absence that followed his shock second-round exit at Wimbledon last year.

But he has faced his sternest test yet in the first Masters tournament of the season, not only from the more punishing hard court surface but as part of a field that featured 49 of the top 50 men in the world.

The fifth-seeded Spaniard saved three break points in the final game against sixth-seeded Berdych before gaining a first match point.

A wayward forehand cost him that one, but Berdych's backhand into the net gave him another, and when Berdych knocked a backhand service return into the net Nadal thrust his arms into the air in triumph.

Against Berdych, who was coming off back-to-back finals appearances at Marseille and Dubai, Nadal was in control for most of the match.

Berdych gained his first break point at 4-3 in the second set - and Nadal coughed up his only double fault of the match to give him the break and a chance to serve out the set.

Nadal shrugged off the lapse to break back immediately - for him the crucial moment of the match.

"I played my best game of the match in the 5-3, playing very aggressive, having two very, very good points with my forehand down the line," Nadal said.

"Especially after having the break and the game with double fault, to be able to forget that and be able to be focused on the next game, on the first point of the next game, and finally do the right things to be back on the serve was decisive."

Nadal launched his comeback with three modest clay court tournaments in Latin America, reaching the final at Vina del Mar and winning titles in Sao Paulo and Acapulco.

His run to the final here included a quarter-final triumph over 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, but Nadal said he is still finding his feet on court.

It's not only a matter of physical ability and timing, but also of regaining the ability to make good decisions at critical points in a match.

"Even if I had a lot of success the last weeks, for example, today I was very nervous at the end of the match," he said. "I was lucky that my serve worked amazing in the last game in important moments.

"There are some things that you need to adjust, and victories like today help you a lot for the confidence and to remember all the things that you have to do in every moment."

In Sunday's final he could find Novak Djokovic across the net.

The world No. 1 from Serbia, riding a 22-match winning streak dating back to October 31, was facing Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro in the other semi-final.

Nadal's last hard-court final was a loss to Djokovic in an epic five-set Australian Open final in January of 2012.

The 11-time Grand Slam champion hadn't even entered a hard court event in nearly a year, since withdrawing from the Miami Masters last March with tendinitis in his left knee.

That same troublesome knee would later lead to his lengthy absence from competition. - AFP

KUALA LUMPUR: Newly-elected Bar Council president Christopher Leong said he would engage with all stakeholders, including the judiciary, to find ways to improve the standard of the legal profession.

He said the Bar also shared the sentiments expressed by Chief Judge (CJ) of Malaysia Tun Arifin Zakaria who expressed concern over the standard of Bar members, as well the Bench.

"We will be meeting the CJ and his senior officials of the judiciary in finding ways on how to improve ourselves and the judiciary," he said in a press conference after chairing his first council meeting immediatly after the council's 67th Annual General Meeting (AGM) at a hotel here on Saturday.

He said at the AGM, members also expressed their concern that lawyers were not given enough time in making their submissions and in some instances, they were not treated with decorum by the Bench.

"They believe judges should come up with extensive grounds of judgement, especially at the upper courts (apex courts) and not broad reasons since it's not sufficient when it comes to the salient points of law," added Leong.

During the press conference, he also announced the council's three other office-bearers.

They are Steven Thiru, former treasurer who has been elected the new vice-president, Richard Wee (secretary) and Karen Cheah Yee Lynn (treasurer).

At Saturday's AGM, the 1,304 members of the Malaysian Bar observed a minute's silence as a mark of respect to the 10 security forces personnel who were killed during clashes in Sabah, with armed terrorists from southern Philippines.

Touching on the main motion debated by members, Leong said the motion which urged the Bar to probe a senior lawyer involved in drafting the second statutory declaration (SD) related to the murder of Mongolian woman, Altantuya Shaariibuu, would be referred to the advocate and solicitor's disciplinary board (DB) for further action (on the SD).

The Bar Council president pointed out that the council did not have the power to investigate or compel anyone to answer any complaint or allegation, as compared to the DB.

He explained that the motion was withdrawn by the mover after being debated for nearly 90 minutes which ended with explanation from council members that the inquiry on the matter was at the tail-end and would be referred to the DB.

"After what was revealed at the AGM today, and previous statements by the lawyer and a businessman for the past few months, it is proper for the DB to investigate further on the possibility of professional misconduct of the senior lawyer implicated with the second SD," stressed Leong. - Bernama

PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Saturday urged the people to have empathy for the security forces' personnel and to stand solidly behind them in their every struggle.

The prime minister said it was necessary for the people to understand what the policemen and soldiers were going through and what they would go through.

"They (the people) will not give their support unless they are able to understand what our security forces' personnel have to go through in their line of duty," he said at a meeting with retired senior officers of the Malaysian Armed Forces, here.

"They have to understand their duties, challenges, obstacles and risks. Unless they understand these, there will be no empathy," he said.

The Prime Minister said that was why the people must stand solidly behind the security forces, namely the police and military, while the nation faced foreign threat.

"We must understand the military world and if we understand the military world, then we would not have made statements that denied the integrity of our armed forces and police.

"We would not have belittled their capability and there would not have been any statement from any rude leader that what had transpired in Lahad Datu and Semporna were purportedly a drama staged by the Umno government," he said.

Because of this, Najib said, the people were angry and many police reports had been lodged, because there had never been any pact or conspiracy between the government and the armed forces.

"If there were, certainly you who are here at this function can confirm it, it's not possible for any conspiracy without your knowledge. If we had collaborated to stage the drama, certainly the top and junior officers would know about it," he said.

Similarly, Najib said, when the incident in Sauk took place previously, it was also accused as a conspiracy and drama by the government. There was no drama in Sauk nor in Lahad Datu and Semporna, there was no conspiracy at all.

"This is something irrational issued by an irresponsible leader, as such we must continue with our struggles," he said.

As such, the Prime Minister expressed full confidence that members of the security forces would carry out their task as desired by the government and the people.

"I'm confident that we can overcome this test, challenge and threat. We will fight to the end no matter how long it takes, no matter what price we have to pay, we will ensure that our sovereignty and security will not be jeopardised by anyone.

"This is my pledge. As for the government, it needs the strong support from the serving members of the security forces...(it) is hoping for the solid support of the top military commander," he said.

Najib said if there were doubts among the top officers on whatever situation, this could bring about elements that could demoralise the security forces personnel. - Bernama

BAGAN DATOH: Foreign media representatives, especially those from the Philippines, are allowed access to the media centre at Felda Sahabat in Lahad Datu, Sabah to obtain updates on the latest development there.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said, in addition, the armed forces or police could accompany them to the operations area to get the 'real picture', in the light of accusations of cruelty and human rights denial against the terrorists.

"I will discuss with the foreign minister, Wisma Putra and police to permit the Embassy of the Philippines in Kuala Lumpur and consulate to visit those who are detained, upon completion of interrogation," he said.

He was speaking to reporters after handing over 120 computers for Tamil, Chinese and selected schools in Perak here on Saturday.

On Saturday, news portal the Philippines Daily Inquirer reported that Malaysia stopped a Philippine humanitarian team and the Philippine media from gaining access to Filipinos detained in an evacuation centre in Lahad Datu, Sabah.

On the latest development in Lahad Datu, Ahmad Zahid said, the terrorists were in a desperate situation and had run out of food after being surrounded in a small area.

"Their leader has abandoned them, their morale is extremely low now and the communities in Sabah are not supporting their action.

"This means they are not getting information and the moral support of the Sulu people in Sabah," he added.

The minister said, the development had made the terrorists so desperate that they even resorted to stealing food from a 'kongsi' house and food outlets.

"We hope the local communities exercise more care because they (the terrorists) are hungry and their actions could be more aggressive.

"This is also because the Philippine Government has given us very good cooperation. The Philippines will also provide us with information on the 35 people who were detained by its coast guards and navy recently," he said.

He said, Malaysia would share information and other details with the Philippine Government on the detainees and stooges of the terrorists, who were detained after 28 days to facilitate investigation. - Bernama

FAMED South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho's upcoming Hollywood debut, Snowpiercer, is already creating much buzz in the global film industry, and looks to be one of the most anticipated Korean-foreign joint productions of the year.

The sci-fi film, jointly distributed by Korea's CJ Entertainment and American film studio The Weinstein Company, stars Tilda Swinton, Chris Evans and Jamie Bell, along with Korean heavyweight Song Kang-ho.

But Snowpiercer isn't the only film that moviegoers should be excited about. A number of significant Korean-foreign joint productions are slated to be released this year, featuring some of the most popular Asian stars – including Korean singer BoA, famed Hong Kong-based, Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh, and Henry Lau, a member of one of music group Super Junior's sub-groups, Super Junior-M.

Among them, celebrated K-pop star BoA is making her Hollywood debut this year, with the release of her upcoming Korean-US joint production Cobu 3D.

In the film, she stars with American dancer and actor Derek Hough. The dance film is inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and features two young dancers as star-crossed lovers.

Meanwhile, Yeoh, who played Aung San Suu Kyi in Luc Besson's 2011 film The Lady, is starring with Henry Lau in Final Recipe. The film is directed by South Korean filmmaker Gina Kim, whose previous works include the 2007 romance Never Forever, which starred top South Korean actor Ha Joeng-woo and American actress Vera Farmiga.

Final Recipe tells the story of young aspiring chef Mark (Henry Lau), who decides to participate in an international cooking contest in an attempt to save his grandfather's restaurant from going out of business. Lau is a Hong Kong-Canadian, and is known to speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and English.

Meanwhile, Korean actress Kim Hyo-jin (The Taste Of Money, Life Is Peachy) is starring in Korean-Japanese joint film Mumyeongin, along with Japanese actor Hidetoshi Nishijima (Sayonara Itsuka, Cut). The film, whose title literally translates to "The Nameless Person", is an adaptation of Japanese writer Tsukasaki Siro's novel Genome Hazard.

The mystery thriller tells the story of a Japanese man who one day realises all of his memories aren't his own but someone else's. He soon realises they were implanted in his brain by unknown forces.

The film is also slated to be released this year, according to its South Korean investor and distributor Lotte Entertainment. – The Korea Herald/Asia News Network

"We're pleased that the judge recognized that the plaintiff's claims should proceed," said lawyer Solomon Gresen, adding: "We look forward to our July trial date."

The trial is tentatively set for July 30.

Stone's lawyers sought to have the case dismissed, arguing that comments by the actress did not amount to harassment.

"All we have is that Ms Stone made comments about Filipino food, Filipino accents," said lawyer Daniel Gutenplan.

When the lawsuit was announced in May, the actress's publicist slammed the legal action as "absurd," claiming the ex-nanny was simply trying to "cash in" on Stone.

The lawsuit claimed the star equated being Filipino with being stupid, and ordered her not to speak in front of her children so they would not "talk like you."

Stone also banned Elemen from reading the Bible in Stone's home, even though she lived with her to look after the actress's three children, and frequently traveled with them.

From August 2010, Elemen "was repeatedly subjected to repeated derogatory comments and slurs by (Stone) related to her Filipino ethnicity and heritage," said the 17-page lawsuit.

Elemen, who was hired in October 2006 and was promoted to head live-in nanny two years later, was dismissed in February 2011, after Stone learned she was paid overtime when traveling with the children and on holiday days.

Stone told her nanny that she had no right to overtime pay, and accused Elemen of "'stealing' from her by taking the... overtime pay," telling her it was "illegal" to have taken the extra pay and demanding the money back, court documents showed.

The lawsuit asks for an unspecified amount for unpaid wages, damages and penalties, and is seeking trial by jury.

In 2011, the actress was ordered to pay $232,000 in compensation to a worker who injured his knee after slipping and falling in her backyard in 2006. - AFP

Sokka Gakkai Malaysia and the organising committee of the Malaysia-China Friendship Arts Exchange Exhibtion will be presenting a public art exhibition titled "Malaysia-China Friendship ARts Exchange Exhibition", showcasing works by 24 renowned artists of modern and contemporary art from Malaysia and Qingdao province, China. The exhibition will be held at Wisma Kebudayaan SGM, 243 Jalan Bukit Bintang from now until March 31. For details, call 03-9075 6875 or visit www.sgm.org.my for details.

ELE-FUN

Paying tribute to the recent unfortunate incident involving the Borneo Pygmy elephants, Sunway Pyramid is organising the EleFUN Holiday: A Pygmy Elephant Project from now until March 31. There will be plenty of fun-filled and educational activities at LG1 Main Concourse, including the Leo and Leona Walkabout, Go Green With Leo and Friends Workshops, Colour A Pygmy, Pot-a-Plant, Forest Talk and Save Energy Workshops. There will also be displays of Pygmy Elephant sculptures as painted by independent local artists and talents, such as Ellie Ng and Christine Das, and shoppers can donate towards the Borneo Conservation Trust in the Pygmy Elephants' conservation efforts and research.

F1 FEVER

The Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix Showcase will be held at Suria KLCC's Concourse and KLCC Esplanade areas. There will be a host of daily programmes, beginning today, with a special performance by K-Town Clan at 1pm and Caprice of "Pyramids" fame at 7pm tomorrow. Featuring a host of daily programmes, including the Petronas Motorsports Demo Run tomorrow in Jalan P. Ramlee and Jalan Ampang, the highlight of the showcase is the appearance by the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton on March 20.

WOMEN'S HEALTH

KPJ Damansara Specialist Hospital is holding two public forums today from 9.30am to 12.30pm to address topics such as "Women's Heart Health" and kidney disease. There will be other activities, including free blood pressure and blood glucose test, dietician advice and exhibition booths. Admission is free. The first 50 registered participants will receive special goodie bags. For details, call 03-7722 2692 (ext 1063/1301).

SONGKET WEAVING DEMONSTRATION

As part of the launch of its new "Songket" collection, Royal Selangor will be hosting a special songket weaving demonstration at its flagship store in Pavilion KL. Head on over to watch an experienced songket weaver create meticulous, beautiful patterns with gold thread. The weaving machine will also be on display in the store from now till March 24.

PHOTO COMPETITION

In conjunction with Women's History Month in March, the Lincoln Resource Center invites Malaysian students between the ages of 16 and 23 to participate in a photography contest honoring women and their achievements in the modern world. Submissions end on March 21. For details, visit malaysia.usembassy.gov/lincoln.html

WOO'S FOURTH SOLO

Woo Seng Non, 71, who devotes his time between teaching and painting, is holding his fourth solo exhibition, which combines realism with an impressionistic touch, at Purple Houz Fine Arts in 17, Jalan Chantek (5/13), Petaling Jaya. Woo's trademark style is painting wavy strokes to give a shimmering effect on the subjects, producing his own charming style. The exhibition will run from now till mid-April. For details, call 03-7931 2790 or visit www.purplehouz.com.

ANIMAX CARNIVAL

Taking place at Sunway Pyramid's Blue Concourse, the two-day Animax Carnival Malaysia 2013 has several activities lined up both at its booths and onstage for anime fans. The event is open only to Astro customers from 10am to 6pm (bring your January, February or March Astro bill along). It will be open to the public from 6pm to 10pm on Saturday and Sunday as well. There will be cosplay competition judging, as well as exciting booth activities.

The left-most lane of Jalan Cheras (Kajang-bound) will be closed in stages on four consecutive Sundays beginning March 17, from 8am to 5am. The closure is between Taman Pertama and BHP Petrol Station and is 120 metres long. The lane closure is being implemented after a trial closure was previously done, and showed no adverse impact on the Kajang-bound traffic. Partial lane closures will also be implemented in stages on Jalan Hang Jebat (in front of YWCA) from March 17 to 19. These closures will involve an 80-metre stretch and will affect traffic on both directions of the road. On March 17, the closures will take effect from 9am to 5pm, involving the lanes leading to Jalan Sultan. On March 18 and 19, the closures will take place between 9pm and 5am, involving the lanes heading towards Jalan Hang Tuah. Both closures are necessary to facilitate utility works in the area, which is an essential process in the construction of future MRT stations.

TRAFFIC BRIEFING

Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) and Prasarana will be conducting a briefing on traffic diversions that will affect SS15 due to LRT construction works. The briefing will take place at the MPSJ SS15 hall, Jalan SS15/4 tomorrow at 10am.

LEARN TO SPEAK UP

Learn the finer art of public speaking from experienced trainers at The Star-ESUM-PKT Logistics Group Public Speaking Workshop. Open to students aged 16 to 20, it will be held on Saturday, March 23, 9am to 5pm at Menara Star, Petaling Jaya. Register to secure your seat. Call 03-7967 1388 ext. 1237/1240.

SCIENTIFIC MEETING

Malaysia Association for Cell Therapy (MACT) will be organising its 2nd Scientific Meeting on March 30 at 10am at Swan Convention Centre, Sunway Medical Center. For details, email mact2012@gmail.com or visit www.mact.org.my

CANINE PARTY

Canine SportzClub, a Community School for Canine Training, is having a potluck party where there would be fun-filled activities for dogs and their owners on March 17, from 8am to 11am at Central Park, Bandar Utama. Please bring food and drinks to share with other dog owners and dogs. For details, call Chris at 019-211 2150. visit facebook.com/Canine.Sportzclub or www.mnawf.org.my.

TOASTMASTERS TALK

Metropolitan Bilingual Toastmasters Club will be hosting a talk on "How to apply your speaking skills to creating a successful lifestyle for yourself" by a distinguished Toastmaster on March 19 at 7.30pm happening at Level 2, Wisma WIM, 7 Jalan Abang Haji Openg, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. To register, e-mail henryfu@pc.jaring.my or contact Henry Fu at 012-302 3088 for details.